CHAPTER 300

"Welcome to the Canalave Gym! How may I help you today?" The girl paused, giggling. "Wait! A Gym Battle, duh! I'd be stupid not to know who you are and what you're here for."

Was it me, or did this Gym Trainer genuinely enjoy her job as a receptionist? Her cheerfulness was infectious, given the fact that an invisible force tugged my lips upward. Most of her hair was hidden below a cap, though I could tell that it was long, and it made me remember I needed a haircut again soon.

"Right… yeah. I'd like to schedule a fight against Byron, please."

"Coming right up!" she yelled, typing away at her computer. "ID, please!"

I slid her my card and leaned against the counter for support. I'd tried going out without a crutch today and I was definitely feeling the exhaustion creeping up. There was no way I was walking back on my own without Angel picking me up on his head. I was close to being capable of this, though, and compared to how my leg felt back in Pastoria, this was night and day. I glanced back toward the Gym, letting the receptionist do her work. There were multiple TV screens displaying Byron's schedule with the names and pictures of the trainers he'd be fighting. Reception was at the heart of the room, and the girl worked at a sleek, steel desk, clad in her gym insignia and uniform— plenty of grays and a Pokeball on her shirt and cap. The fun thing about Byron's Gym was that even the inside looked uncomfortable. The seats weren't cushioned and were so sharp they looked like a safety hazard. The inside of the structure had been built to encompass discomfort and the jagged edges of the Iron Islands. From what I knew, Byron had the entire place renovated when he took power as a tribute to where he'd come from. Speakers played sounds of drilling and pickaxes striking ore, making everyone feel like they were in a mine.

I was starting to think there was something lacking about Sinnoh's Gyms. Not the process of the fight itself— that was what I was here for, after all. The thrill of battle. Just how uniform all of them were. I couldn't really fault the Gym Leaders, given that Sinnoh enforced a standard to how their Gyms were built save for a few differing features on the stadium's exterior. I figured it'd be nice to have more personality attached to it. Like entire Gyms being a Leader's lair, or a way they had to express themselves, but the fact that this would mean the League would have to fund extravagant projects every time a Gym Leader was replaced meant that it wasn't something Sinnoh was interested in. Plus, Johto was our closest neighbor, and there was an importance rooted in tradition. While these buildings had been continuously kept up to date, they'd been standing for hundreds of years in the same spot.

It just would have been nice if Byron's Gym had been more unique, is all. Maybe with more edges and metallic spikes, a winding path that had you thinking you were in a cave, maybe. In truth, I knew very little about the Gym Leader's personality itself, other than the few tidbits Candice had let slip about him being like a crazy uncle unless the situation demanded some seriousness. Not to the extent of Crasher Wake, but still, it sounded like he was going to give me a fun battle. The Gym wasn't as full as it would have been earlier in the year, but it wasn't empty either. I could still hear the muffled, electrifying cheers going on in the stands that seemed to have the entire stadium shaking. A few trainers pumping themselves and their Pokemon up for their coming battle— closest to me, a girl and her Dustox and a… well, I couldn't tell what gender they were, but someone and their Coalossal, who was impressing me by not spraying scorching hot coal anywhere. It was easy to get swept into the atmosphere and forget, for a moment, that next week, the shoe was going to drop. I grinned, tapping a finger against the counter as anticipation coursed through my veins like a drug.

"Oh… there's a condition on your profile," the Gym Trainer said.

My heart dropped. "Huh?"

"The last day you can battle is tomorrow— wow this is odd. I've never seen this before! Did you piss Byron off or something?" She slid me my trainer ID back. "Arceus, this sucks, I'm gonna need to reschedule someone, if that's the case. Can you hold while I confirm this stuff with Leader Byron?"

"...sure?"

Excitement turned into a nervous knot at the bottom of my stomach. Tomorrow already? Was this a psychological play by Byron to catch me off-guard? I couldn't help but think that was a little unfair, given the fact that he was forcing me to fight him tomorrow when I'd planned on getting another two days to iron things out with my team. No, no. I was ready. An extra few days would have been nice, but I had no choice— wait, this didn't make any sense! If I said no, was he just going to lock me out of the eighth Gym fight forever? I had to wait at the counter for a while, no doubt waiting for Byron to finish his current battle and take his ten-minute break. Once that was done, she grabbed a desk phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, can you go and give the phone to Leader Byron real quick before he starts another fight?" She paused. "Yes, this is important, Arceus! Hurry up, I'm holding up the line!" Placing a hand over the phone, she looked at me apologetically. "Sorry about this, we should get an answer soon."

"No problem."

Another thirty seconds, and I heard the faintest sound of a gruff, almost grating voice on the other end of the line, though I couldn't make out any words. The receptionist explained the situation as quickly as she could, and then nodded along to the answer before hanging up.

"Yep, it's confirmed. Tomorrow or you'll have to wait two weeks to challenge him. I'm sorry about this, but them's the breaks. So?"

"So what?"

"So are you signing up or not?" she pressed.

"Oh. Oh, uh… yeah. Yeah, I am," I exhaled.

Arceus, he'd put so much pressure on me with just abruptly constricting my schedule. I shifted uncomfortably from side to side as the receptionist wrote me up for a slot at 1:30 in the afternoon, so basically right after lunch. Ignoring the grumbling complaints from people talking about how the line was finally moving again, I limped out of the Gym with deep breaths to calm myself down. My arm had been twisted, but nothing had changed. I was fine.

But I'd need to talk to the team about this. I made my way to the Center on Angel's head, since it was closer than any landing pad to take off on, and used the opportunity to pick up a crutch. Louis was busy with business affairs and trying to procure a loan, and the girls were hanging out with Denzel and Justin, making up for lost time. The plan had been to join them after this for a few hours before going off to train, but that couldn't be the case anymore. Today was going to be full of cramming instead.

Instead of releasing Angel again, Princess materialized with the usual scarlet light and hiss and pop from her Pokeball. I stroked her head lightly.

"Hiya. Wanna take us to that beach again?" I asked. "I signed up for the Gym and need to talk to everyone."

Togekiss nodded, though the look on her face betrayed her, with how she clearly wanted to know more right away. I hopped on her back and we were off, the wind whipping my hair and clothes around. Before picking up this entire flight thing, I wondered how people like Cynthia ever flew without a saddle, but honestly, I could say now that I could see myself doing it, even if I was never going to and it'd be horrible for my posture. There was something liberating about it just being you and your Pokemon without any leather in between you. It took around thirty minutes to get to the beach, the world blurring below us. So long as Princess accelerated slowly so the forces didn't kill me, we could go at truly ludicrous speeds, these days. Without me on her back? Well, as much as it pained to admit, she was no Talonflame, but she was still incredibly quick. I'd seen glimpses of her fighting against Pauline's Braviary, and recalling that still filled my heart with pride when thinking back on how many weeks it had taken for her to get used to flying.

There was a soft thud as Princess landed on the pebbled beach, where I let loose the rest of my team. Given how warm it was today, the beach was a lot more active than the other day and we'd needed to go far to be alone, but at least Mimi could join in too. They weren't really going to be a part of the discussion, given how utterly disinterested in Gym Battles and fighting in general they tended to be, but I wanted to make the little steel type feel included, so I tapped on my wrist twice and allowed them to morph into their true form in my palm. When this Team Galactic stuff was all over, I was going to ask the League about no longer having to hide them.

When this was over… Mira had talked to me, about how she worried no longer being so useful to the League they'd tighten our leash, but I didn't believe that would be the case. We'd keep our powers until we died, and Sinnoh would never pass up on living weapons they could use in case another terrorist group showed up or some kind of war happened. Maybe she was right, but I doubted things would change that much.

Most Pokemon eyed me with confusion, with Sunshine even grumbling about why we were back on this annoying beach. I had to call out to Sweetheart so she didn't waddle in the water, and instead, she plopped herself down the ground with a tremor as her tail swayed from side to side and shredded the rocks behind her. She was still a little angry I hadn't let her fight Pauline and Emilia yesterday, and honestly I sympathized. She'd only let loose once against Zoroark. Twice, if you counted right after her evolution, but even then, her use of her powers had been clumsy at best. The rest of them silently gathered in a circle. Honey was desperate to get his hand working, and improving slowly but surely, continuously pumping it into a fist and trying to move his wrist around. Angel slithered a vine underground, curious to see how deep he could go. Princess juggled with a couple of pebbles, using a minor amount of psychic force to send them flying upward, and although Buddy was floating there, all stoic, he was subtly training to make the waves constantly battering the beach stop, without much success. Claydol, meanwhile, was silent, as they would be unless someone spoke to them first.

"Needed an isolated spot to talk, and you know how I am about retracing steps," I explained. "There's symbolism about it that I like."

I caught Turtonator rolling his eyes, though he said nothing.

"I finished signing up for the Gym, but there's a problem— well, it's not exactly a problem, more like Byron threw a wrench in our plans. The battle is tomorrow in the early afternoon."

Reactions could be divided into two camps. Sweetheart, Sunshine and Princess were so giddy they could barely sit still anymore. The rocks Togekiss had been juggling fell to the ground, and she flew in Sunshine's arms until the dragon realized what he'd been doing and dropped her. Tyranitar roared until I had to cover my ears, and I was pretty sure I'd need to call the Rangers to let them know there was no wild Pokemon rampaging on the beach, with how far her voice traveled. Buddy just nodded, just content to do his duty as always, while Angel was mostly happy to see the others excited to battle.

"Here's the thing, the date was forced on me by Byron, for some reason. I think he's trying to get into my head, but I don't know… feels weird to have it like this."

Sunshine shrugged, saying that tomorrow or later made no difference, with how hard they'd trained. It pained him to admit, but even the 'brat', which was one of the names he used for Princess, had never been readier than now. Honey chimed in, saying that delaying might make everyone more nervous with all the tension building up, or at least that's how he'd feel if he could fight.

"On one hand, you might be right, but you know… it throws me off," I breathed. "I'll be fine, though. Doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. You guys are right, we're ready."

I felt steadier now, like I'd managed to hold on to a rock before the current would sweep me. They were my rock, at the heart of it. Angel patted me on the head, signing that even he'd gotten over his nerves, being the planned ace of the fight and all.

Jellicent suggested that the stringent schedule might have been to give my team the time they needed to actually heal before the Red Chain was completed, and my mouth gaped.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"That makes so much more sense! Plus, it can double up as a pressure tactic!" I exclaimed. "And those two weeks will be enough time for Galactic to be dealt with. Or should be, at least."

So he was killing two birds with one stone, which was fair enough. I'd believed the six days I'd planned would be enough to get my team time to heal, but I supposed he wanted to be on the safer ends of things.

"Claydol, what do you think?" I asked, turning toward the ground type. "You feeling ready? That was great barrier work and Mud Slapping against Pauline and Emilia yesterday. Anything else you feel like doing some last-minute improvements on? We're going to spend today with some light training so you can all be well-rested for tomorrow."

Something whirred inside their head, wet like clay in a way that reminded me of Lehmhart.

"If you feel inclined that I am ready—" Claydol paused, their eyes spinning as if they were recalibrating. "I am confident I shall not fall short of your expectations, my King. The Princess and others have provided me with excellent training."

I grinned. "Great!"

Togekiss puffed up her feathers, calling the others 'mere afterthoughts', and Claydol proceeded to apologize to everyone present, and would have kept going, had Buddy not stopped him by the time he'd uttered Enforcer, Custodian, and Jester. They were funny, with their little nicknames for each of the Pokemon, and most of them enjoyed the little flair it gave the team, like we were a real, living court. I had to admit, I might have gotten a little too into it and leaned into the roleplay sometimes.

Of course, Buddy hated having been designated as 'Assassin', but we all thought it fit him rather well.

"Well, since we're already here, I'm gonna bring you guys to an area you can practice in while I finish up watching the videos I was looking at and I can send texts to the others."

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, everything would come to a head.

—

It was quiet.

I'd found that to be the case, when it was just me and Claydol around and I'd run out of things to say, but learning to be comfortable in the silence between us had been a part of bonding with them. We didn't banter like I did with Sunshine, or talk about plans for the future like with Buddy, or come up with new games for the kids like Angel. I could go on and on, but I had asked them a lot about their past life, and answers were growing dry in a way that had me think they disliked talking about it much. Speaking about stories, they didn't mind, but their actual life? That was clearly an unpleasant topic for them, even if they felt compelled to answer me, so I hadn't pushed further after that. We were back in Canalave now, and they walked with me back to the Pokemon Center. I could have landed at the entrance or had Angel carry me, but I wanted to spend time alone with Claydol.

The psychic slowed slightly when we passed by a shop showcasing mannequins through a transparent window, and three of Claydol's eyes snapped toward the one woman wearing a hat. The other eyes were, as always, continuously scanning the surroundings, but they'd gotten used enough to cities not to freak out, by now. I walked up to the window and eyed the sleek mannequin. It was a creamy cloche hat, neat and form-fitting, and even though I'd never been big on those, I could appreciate that it looked good, especially with the rest of the outfit.

"Interested?" I probed.

I possess a substantial structure for a head. Consequently, this hat would not accommodate me, yet I can acknowledge its aesthetic appeal. The interplay of form and function orchestrates a visual symphony that transcends mere headwear.

"Come on, it'd fit you like a glove! You know, I have a sun hat back home," I said. "I could have you try it on, and if you like it, I'll buy you that hat."

Claydol's six eyes blinked. Have I, through any discernible actions, warranted the imposition of such circumstances? Might it not be more judicious to utilize my performance in this 'Gym Battle' as a source of inspiration and motivation for future endeavors, my King?

"Good performance or not, I know you'll try your best, and you're getting that hat if you want it," I grinned, hands behind my back. "Hell, I'll even buy it now. I'm imagining you with a monocle and a bowtie, though that'd go better with a top hat."

The psychic paused. Could I potentially leverage my sizable cranial structure to don and showcase multiple hats simultaneously?

I snorted. "Yes! That's what I'm talking about! Arceus, you know what, I'm getting you that hat!"

It ended up being more pricey than I thought, but I was getting paid by Poketch soon anyway. The store attendant gave me a strange look when I asked about a hat for Claydol, but they got used to the idea pretty quick and soon, she was showing us hat after hat, no doubt trying to sell me more. There was unfortunately only so much space in my backpack, despite it being so large, and I only got them three. In Sinnoh, I had my dad's place and Emilia and Pauline who held onto stuff for me, but I'd really need somewhere to keep my stuff in Unova if I wanted to have more than a backpack's worth of clothes with me. There was no doubt Cece was going to be welcomed into one of Clarence's properties— not that she would accept such an arrangement anyway. If she got that sponsor she was angling for, we could always rent someplace. She was no longer as rich as she'd been and had basically run out of money with the TMs she'd bought for her battle against Crasher Wake.

Back outside, now. While Claydol's head had a perfect spot for a hat, they could keep them balanced on their head around the protuberance at its center, and that's what they did, since they seemed to favor symmetry. The hats, admittedly, did not fit with each other at all. Other than the beige one we'd bought, I'd gotten a dark top hat and one of those Kalosian caps.

Contemplating the future, what if I were to use one hat per eye? Claydol asked.

"That's the spirit!" I cheered. "See, I knew you'd be into it!"

They could not smile, but their eyes did turn into upside-down 'U's.

Thank you. I extend my appreciation for the enjoyable time we shared today, my King.

"Gah! I'll figure out how to hug you one day, just you wait!" I said, squinting at Claydol. "You won't keep weaving out of the way for long."

A King should not hug her servants.

"But getting them nice gifts is okay? And you aren't my servant!"

Query: on occasion, a monarch might indeed engage in such actions.

Sighing, my hands went flat against my sides. "At least we made some progress. Keep thinking about that name, will you?"

As you wish.

Quiet soon came again, but it was easier to bear than it had been. I recalled Claydol when we arrived back at the Pokemon Center and noticed Denzel waiting for me in the lobby, typing away at his phone. He too, hadn't expected my Gym Battle to come so soon, and while I had a lot of explaining to do, he let me go soon after so I could go and study the entire afternoon.

—

Almost every day, at around ten in the evening, Cece and I called to check up on one another. Though all of my friends knew about Team Galactic and the circumstances we were involved in now, she was still the one I confided in the most. She knew about my recent dream, for example, and had theorized that it was Mesprit trying to passively push me in a direction they wanted me to go in. She was the first I'd told about fixing Louis and the wonderful feeling it had given me, since I'd called her right after for support, and had warned me not to touch Justin until she could be there.

Tonight, though, the topic was a lot more cheerful than usual.

"Ha… I can't believe you got one day, too," I said. "I guess Buddy was right."

"What'd he say?"

"That it was to give the Joys enough time to heal our teams. Six days should have been enough, don't you think? It never took longer than that except when Honey got his spine broken."

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Just in case the chain is completed a day or two early. As you said, Mesprit isn't the most reliable," she said, and I could almost imagine her eyes narrowing. "We'll have our battle at the same time, then."

That was the other part of it. Not only were we fighting the same day, we'd been given the exact same timeslot. Maybe Byron and Wake had talked about it.

"I'd say we could have a competition about who finishes first, but I don't want to put any extra pressure on you," I teased.

"Oh, don't use me as an excuse," she laughed. "You know I'd win first anyway."

"I'd know if you told me what you planned," I whined. "Guess I'll just have to catch the video afterwards, though. Are you sure you're ready?"

"I've never been more assured of myself in a battle," Cece said, her grin audible.

"It's weird that you can do that. Just be sure of such a momentous battle." I lay down in my bed and looked at the grainy ceiling. "I mean, I'm confident, but not to that extent. I never am."

"You're cautious. That pays off in most fights," she said. "Right now, I just need to blow off some steam. Blow things up to unwind."

"And that assures you're this confident how?"

"Oh, Grace," she laughed. Music to my ears, but I wished she was here. "Think of it as your last moment to let loose in a legal, official capacity."

Morbid. It was morbid, but she'd laughed about it, and for some reason, framing it that way worked some. Why worry about anything else but letting loose, when this was possibly the last Gym Battle I'd be in? Sometimes part of me wondered how the hell she'd gotten so strong at picturing and imagining her own death, or if this was a subtle call for help.

"Thanks. That actually helps."

I'd deal with it all after I had my fun.

—

"Now remember, even if you know he's doing something fucky, you've got to actually wrack your brain to figure out what it is, or you'll be caught off-guard anyway," Denzel warned. "That's how it happened with me and the slope."

"I know, I watched that battle at least fifty times," I said, rolling my neck and shoulders. "I know there'll be something to screw me, and I suspect I already know what it is. Parts of me thinks that if I figured it out, there'll be something else, but I have no choice but to just hope I can sniff it out while it's happening."

The Gym felt quiet, even though it was the opposite of that. This match had been as anticipated as Denzel's and it showed. Compared to yesterday, this place was packed, with even the lobby being full to the brim. A sea of people, all trying to get themselves a spectating seat. Luckily, my friends had come early and I trusted Pauline to keep Denzel's seat with my life. We'd been in the stands for nearly two hours, even staying during Byron's lunch break, and Louis had bought us all sandwiches to eat so we wouldn't have to leave when we got hungry.

I eyed Denzel's fist, clenching and unclenching. "You're making me nervous."

"Am I? Shit, sorry," he blurted out. "Uh, so we went over everything, right? Any ideas you want to bounce off of me before you have to go?"

"I think I'm good."

"It's a good thing you're calm. I was shitting myself when it was time, personally."

I wasn't calm. I was constantly wiping sweat off my palms on my jogging pants and had to stop myself from reflexively reciting the moves of Byron's Pokemon, and I could barely stand straight. I'd considered wearing something fancy like a dress, but figured if I was going to win this, I needed to be comfortable, so I was basically wearing loungewear. Thick, grey cotton pants, a white long-sleeved t-shirt that I slept with sometimes, and with my hair completely loose. I wasn't exactly screaming 'professional'. The ruckus from the crowd blended with the background sounds of mining as I chewed on my thumb nail. It was a good thing this place was so crammed with people, or I'd be doing nothing but pacing. There was a trill of calm as Mimi rattled against my wrist, and I silently thanked them by caressing their frame with a finger as my lips stretched into a smile.

We'd give it everything we had, wouldn't we? And we'd win, too. We were the definition of prepared, and I'd learned to recover from unexpected events in battle. I wasn't that little girl who had fought against Cecilia and Chase in Hearthome. I was more, and the world would bear witness. Winning all of the Gyms in your first try was a claim few trainers could ever make, and I wanted to be a part of that group.

"Looks like you should get going," Denzel said, raising his tone so I could hear him through the cheers. "Good luck out there, Grace. You've got this."

How was it, that anxiety could be such a physical shackle that I felt it literally melt off of me? He offered me his wrist, and I clasped it. "I'll see you on the other side. Cheer for me. And try to see if you can contact Chase! I'm sure he's hiding in the stands somewhere."

We might have fought the last time we'd spoken, but I doubted he'd miss this.

Denzel hurried back to his seat, and my legs carried me toward the waiting room like I was in a dream-like state. Sitting on a familiar bench, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall. Almost a year ago, I'd been here in Oreburgh, a nervous wreck. A little girl, so utterly gripped by anxiety she felt like she'd pop like a balloon, telling herself that she had this despite believing otherwise. My finger circled around the release button of one of my Pokeballs as I patiently waited for the current match to finish. My mind continuously imagined the possibilities of what Byron could release against my lead Pokemon, but it was just busywork, at this point. Thinking for the sake of thought.

Gasps from the spectators, loud enough to make me think the challenger had lost, but they quickly turned to cheers. Must have been a close match that had come down to both their final Pokemon. Byron would be taking his break, now, and then it was my turn. I pulled back my sleeves to make sure my Poketch Watch was visible as trepidation built up and up until it was ready to burst. Having to wait like this was akin to being stuck in a cage. I wanted nothing more but for the battle to start already. To be fighting Byron, blade clashing against shield, and see who would come out on top.

A young looking teen entered the waiting room, all smiles until he saw me. I must have been making a face, because his grin fell and he quickly scuttled away. Not good. I massaged my cheeks and let my expression fall to a neutral one, determined to keep it there so I couldn't be read like a book like Denzel had been. Two minutes later, a Gym Trainer did the same. I was almost in a daze, when answering their questions about bright, flashing lights or sensitivity to noise.

I wanted out. My arms shook, nearly ready to push the trainer out of the way and run to the battlefield myself.

Get me out of the cage.

So long, since I'd felt like this, that I'd almost forgotten that I craved it so much I could die. Part of me wondered if Aliyah would call this an addiction, too.

"You're all set! And remember to have fun, okay? You seem a little stiff!"

No answer came from me. Instead, I grabbed my first Pokeball and clasped it tight.

The light shining through the large frame leading to the battlefield was blinding, but I began stepping through it anyway. It felt larger than life, beckoned me like what I'd heard about Arceus' Garden, at the end of it all, and I found the comparison pleasing enough to shiver as I crossed the threshold.

"Alright, Grace," I murmured to myself, tone steady and harsh and mimicking the very same words I had said against Roark. "You've got this."

And I truly believed it, this time.